Three Potato, Gold! Yukon Gold, that is! Well, someone
is striking it rich with the Yukon Gold potato. In fact,
it is said that the Yukon gold potato as well as a
number of other yellow-fleshed potatoes are putting this
once most popular starch back onto our plates.

It is possibly due to the flavour of the Yukon, which
can be described as buttery, almost nutty and best of
all does not beg for a pat of butter. Maybe it’s because
this potato is the most versatile of all potatoes; good
for baking, boiling, frying, and mashing. Maybe it’s
because a lot of us are food snobs, and when we read all
about this gourmet potato in magazines such as Gourmet
and Bon Appetite, we just naturally have to have it! Or,
maybe it is because this potato has a relatively
short-lived appearance in stores, and just as marketers
of the Cabbage Patch Doll and Playstation2 can attest
to, there is a definite relationship between supply &
demand: as supply goes down, demand goes up!

For most Europeans and South Americans, the yellow
potato has been the norm, not the exception for many
years. Here in North America, we have survived until
recently with mainly the white fleshed varieties, and
the occasional flurry of odd-coloured varieties such as
the blue potato.( My boys wouldn’t touch these with a
ten-foot fork!) This has been due to the fact that the
white potato is so hardy, and is easily grown in the
North American climate. Chefs from around the world have
expounded the virtues of the yellow potato for years,
but until 20 years ago they were largely unavailable to
us because of their unsuitability to our growing seasons
and low-resistance to diseases. A group of researchers
at the University of Guelph saw the interest in the
gold-fleshed potato, and started in the 1960s
cross-breeding North American white potatoes with a
variety of wild South American yellow-fleshed potato.
The result was the Yukon Gold, born in 1980. Although
the seeds were released in the early 1980s, popularity
of this potato did not reach its peak until just a few
years ago, commanding premium prices in the grocery
store.

There are other gold-fleshed varieties on the market
now, but they are not as in-demand as the Yukon Gold.
These other varieties will generally appear in the
grocery store labelled as “Yellow Fleshed Potatoes”. A
true Yukon Gold will be labelled as such.

The Yukon Gold has a relatively short availability,
usually from August to February. Because they have a
slightly higher sugar content, gold potatoes do not store
as well as white potatoes, and for this reason, they are
only found in stores in season. They are considered a
fresh-market vegetable, to be consumed shortly after
harvest. Like white potatoes, yellow potatoes should be
stored in the dark but, unlike white potatoes, in the
fridge. The cold causes the higher starch content of the
white potatoes to turn to sugar, but the lower starch
content of yellow reduces this problem. If you remove the
Golds from the fridge over-night to a cool, dark place,
the sugar should convert back to starch, unless the
potatoes are too old.

Avoid any potatoes with green spots. Exposure to
light causes the production of solanine in potatoes, which
is bitter and can cause intestinal discomfort. It is
alright to cut off small green spots, but if the potato is
more than half green, throw it out. As with other produce
such as apples, one bad potato will spoil the rest, so be
careful to cull out any with black, soft spots. (Jordan
has accused me of using a mixed-metaphor here.) Potatoes
should never be stored next to onions, garlic, apples or
pears. They can quickly absorb these flavours.

Yukon Golds tend to fall apart when boiled, but I served
them for Thanksgiving dinner this year, and I simply
dumped them out into a colander to save all of the broken
pieces for my mashed potatoes. They were the most
flavourable and attractive mashed potatoes I have ever
made, although, of course, the kids still doused their
mountains of yellow with gravy. I’ve given up trying to
teach them about the subtle flavours of unadulterated
foods.

If you are like me at all, you will have found that trying
to estimate quantities of potatoes boiled to yield of
mashed is brain-surgery. I have found an
equivalents chart that claims: 1 lb = 4 cps diced = 1-3/4
cps mashed. Perhaps! I usually count on using two medium
sized potatoes per person, unless your sons and nephews
have decided to have a potato eating contest, and then you
are out of luck.

Some chefs will dry their boiled Yukon Golds in a warm oven
to increase their ability to soak up butter and cream when
mashing. Never use a food processor or electric mixer to
whip potatoes. This will only cause the starches to form a
gluey, gooey, mess. (Yup! I=ve done that one myself.)